The Simpsons Recasts Apu: Sunil Malhotra Takes Over Iconic Role After Nearly a Decade

After nearly nine years of silence, Springfield’s favorite convenience store owner has finally found his new voice.

Indian-American actor Sunil Malhotra has officially taken over the role of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on The Simpsons, marking the end of a long-standing casting hiatus for the character. Malhotra made his debut as the character in the Season 38 episode “Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening”, stepping into a role previously held by Hank Azaria.

Apu’s recast follows years of industry discussions surrounding racial representation in voice acting.

Following the release of Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu, which highlighted the character’s legacy as a South Asian caricature, Hank Azaria officially stepped down from voicing Apu in 2020. Azaria had voiced the character since Apu’s debut in 1990. Rather than writing Apu out entirely, The Simpsons producers kept him in the background of Springfield as a non-speaking character, effectively pausing his dialogue starting in 2017.The recasting aligns with Fox and The Simpsons‘ 2020 initiative requiring white actors to step down from voicing non-white characters. The move follows similar recastings on the show, including Alex Désert taking over as Carl Carlson and Kevin Michael Richardson stepping in as Dr. Hibbert.

2. Who is Sunil Malhotra?

Sunil Malhotra brings an extensive background in television and voice performance to the role of Apu. Malhotra is a veteran voice actor known for his work across high-profile video game franchises and animated series, including roles in Fallout: New Vegas, Halo: Reach, and Valorant. He has appeared in series such as Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, The Good Place, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Malhotra’s casting marks a pivotal shift for The Simpsons, giving Apu an authentic South Asian voice actor while allowing the long-running series to reintegrate the character back into active storylines.